This invention relates generally to apparatus for attachment to drinking vessels, such as baby bottles, which is designed to absorb excess liquid beverage which escapes from the mouth of the drinker (e.g. a baby) or is spilled or dripped from the drinking vessel.
It is well known to any parent that when a baby drinks from a baby bottle, a substantial amount of liquid which is dispensed from the bottle ends up on the baby""s chin, neck, and/or clothing. Although this occurs primarily with newborn babies, it may continue at least until the baby reaches three months old and, in some circumstances, further along in the age of the baby.
Liquid which is xe2x80x9cspilledxe2x80x9d in this manner can not only wet or soil the baby""s garments (and oftentimes the person feeding the baby) but, when it occurs, also leaves the person feeding the baby with an difficult choice. Because babies often fall asleep while feeding, a person feeding a baby must decide whether to put the baby to bed with wet garments or risk waking the child while changing the baby""s clothes. Leaving the child to sleep in wet clothes can, of course, cause irritation to the baby""s typically sensitive skin.
One known but inadequate solution to these problems in the art is the use of a bib tied around the child""s neck during bottle feeding. Conventional bibs are not effective in solving the aforementioned problems, however, because the beverage dispensed from a bottle typically runs down the chin and neck of the baby and then under the surface of the bib. Furthermore, utilizing a conventional bib subjects the feeder (e.g. mother, etc.) to the potential difficultly of untying and removing a bib without waking a baby who has fallen asleep.
Therefore, prior to the subject invention described herein, a person bottle feeding a baby was required to repeatedly attend to the cleaning or wiping up of the excess liquid dispensed from a baby bottle (which has flowed onto the chin, neck, etc . . . of a feeding baby), or suffer the problems associated therewith.
In view of the above, it is apparent that there exists a need in the art for apparatus which may be attached to a baby bottle or other drinking vessel which overcomes the above described problems in the art. It is a purpose of this invention to fulfill this need in the art, as well as other needs which will become apparent to the skilled artisan once given the following disclosure.
Generally speaking, this invention fulfills the above described needs in the art by providing: an apparatus for attachment to a drinking vessel comprising:
a first member, the first member comprising a first absorbent layer and including a chin contacting portion;
a securing member for securing the first member to a drinking vessel such that the chin contacting portion protrudes a distance from the drinking vessel.
In another embodiment, there is provided: an apparatus for attachment to a drinking vessel comprising:
a first member comprising at least a first absorbent layer;
a securing member for securing the first member to a drinking vessel; and
wherein the first member is so shaped and sized such that when the first member is secured to a drinking vessel by the securing member, the first member protrudes from the drinking vessel a distance such that the first member is positionable under the chin of a person drinking from the drinking vessel.
In yet another embodiment, there is provided: an apparatus for attachment to a drinking vessel comprising:
means for absorbing liquid;
means for securing the means for absorbing liquid to a drinking vessel such that the means for absorbing liquid protrudes a distance from the drinking vessel.